The Wolfe, the Dragons, and Kaos
by Hybryd0
Summary: *Hiatus* Ryan Wolfe's skills as an undercover cop get put to the test. Full summary inside.
1. Meet the Dragons

AN: Alright folks first of all this is very, very AU. Some characters will appear slightly out of character, but I'm trying to stick to the very basic ideals of each character. Second, this series is going to have some dark points all of which I can't name now. Don't like dark stories? You'll probably want to hit the back button now. Third, there will be extreme violence and death. Lastly, this will contain mucho slash. Don't like slash? You probably don't want to read anything I write.

Summary: Ryan Wolfe goes undercover as a fighter in the extreme and deadly Underground Fighting League. His mission is to uncover all the major players in the drug trade and gather evidence against them all. But when he joins the Raging Dragons, one of the most successful teams in the League, he finds himself a part of a dysfunctional family that accepts him into their midst and slowly become the family he never had. He struggles to stay true to his mission as he gets drawn in deeper and deeper.

This includes a huge amount of crossovers. All three CSI shows, NCIS, Stargate Atlantis, and those are just the ones off the top of my head. Anyone and everyone could show up. The only characters I own so far are most of Team Kaos and other assorted fighters.

V**Meet the Dragons**V

There wasn't much that surprised Ryan Wolfe anymore. He had seen many things in his time working as an undercover cop. He'd seen drug deals go bad and domestic violence turn into something more. He'd watched as fellow undercover cops were "made" and killed before his very eyes. Ryan Wolfe thought he had seen it all, but as his cab pulled up to the address he had been given he found himself surprised. He had expected the Dragons' Lair to be a rundown house with broken windows and pealing paint, but that wasn't what he saw at all.

The Dragons' Lair was actually a well taken care of and expensive looking very tall apartment building. The brick building had the feeling of being ancient, but it didn't look that way. None of the windows were broken including the large glass windows on the ground floor. The trees in the front threw shadows over the path leading to the door, but were only half as tall as the building. All in all the place gave off the feeling of a regular apartment building, but Ryan knew different.

Ryan paid the cab driver and got out of the car. He stared apprehensively at the building. He hadn't wanted the assignment. He wasn't a violent person by nature, but his job sometimes required it. This assignment was going to push way past anything he'd ever experienced. The only reason he'd been assigned the case was that he was so damn good at his job. He thought Kurt or Sean would have been better for the physical aspect of the assignment, but as far as the people aspect went they definitely wouldn't fit the bill. His partner, the ever charismatic John Sheppard, had argued on his behalf, but in the end it hadn't changed anyone's mind. He would be the best at getting in and finding all the major players in the drug trade going on in the secretive and dangerous world of the Underground Fighting League.

So here he was in front of what was fondly called the Dragons' Lair. It was going to be his home for...well he wasn't sure how long. His objectives were in depth and would take time, lots of time. He guessed this would be his longest assignment yet.

Taking a deep calming breath he slipped into his new personality and strode up the path. Once past the shadow of the trees he was slightly surprised to see a young man waiting for him at the door. Obviously Asian in descent, the young man smiled widely at him, but nonetheless moved to block the door.

"Hello, here to visit someone?" The young man asked politely.

Ryan eyed him thoughtfully. "You're a little small to be security aren't you?"

"Doorman actually, I just greet and sign people in." The Asian man replied, still smiling, but his voice held just a hint of edge to it. "Can I help you?"

Before Ryan could reply the door swung open and a man appeared who Ryan instantly recognized. "It's okay Archie. This is Mr. Wolfe, the new team member I told you about."

"That's right! Sorry, H, slipped my mind." Archie said, grinning sheepishly. He held his hand out to Ryan. "Sorry about that Mr. Wolfe. I'm Archie Johnson."

"Nice to meet you Archie, but please don't call me Mr. Wolfe." Ryan said, giving a shudder for emphasis. He shook Archie's hand firmly. "Makes me sound like my dad. Just call me Ryan."

"Well Ryan, welcome to the Dragons' Lair."

Archie slipped back into the building and Ryan was left with a man he had already met once. Horatio Caine was the manager and protector of the members of the Raging Dragons, one of the most successful teams in the Underground Fighting League. He was well known for taking over the team when it was revealed that his brother, Raymond Caine, had been skimming from the team's victory winnings. Horatio brought order and honor back to the Raging Dragons and they had begun thriving again under his leadership. Horatio was also the only one who knew the truth about Ryan and was sworn to protect his secret. After speaking with the man, Ryan trusted him completely not to blow his cover.

"You're a little earlier than I expected you, Mr. Wolfe." Horatio said, motioning for Ryan to follow him.

"I was supposed to see Commissioner Mobley first, but he was too busy to see me so I came directly here." Ryan said as he obediently followed Horatio into the building and looked around the lobby.

It was a simple design with a modernized flare to it. In the center of the lobby was an eight-foot statue of a poised to strike dragon done in beautiful black marble. To one side of the statue was a desk, like one would expect to find at a hotel, where Archie had perched himself. There was a clipboard on the desk, which Ryan guessed was the visitor's log. Archie was engrossed in one of two TV screens on the desk and Ryan absently caught the words "red alert" and "Romulan bird-of-prey" as his gaze went upwards. The middle of the building was hollow with railings around each level and at the very top was a glass ceiling that was spilling sunlight inside.

"Archie? Are you forgetting something?" Horatio said, catching the doorman's attention.

Archie looked up with a questioning look on his face. Then realization dawned on him and he smiled sheepishly. "I guess he probably needs that doesn't he?" He grabbed something that looked suspiciously like a credit card and handed it to Ryan. "That's your room keycard. Try not to lose it."

"Why not regular keys?" Ryan asked.

"Security reasons." Horatio replied. "If a card is lost or stolen we can deactivate it so that nobody can use it."

"Had a lot of trouble with break ins?"

"You could say that."

Horatio led Ryan look around for a few minutes before he led him into a room to their right. Immediately Ryan could guess it was some kind of entertainment room for the occupants of the building, but thought it was a little strange seeing as how everyone had their own apartment. Several men were already lounging around on a plush couch in front of a big screen TV.

"This is the common room." Horatio confirmed Ryan's thoughts. "Everyone has their own living space, but this is where everyone can come to relax together."

"Monday is movie night." One of the seated men stated. Ryan watched as the speaker stood up and turned to face him. "You must be Ryan Wolfe, the new fighter we've heard all about."

"I am." Ryan confirmed, meeting the stranger's probing gaze unflinchingly. "And you are?"

"He's Ben McGewen and he doesn't know his manors." The other man on the couch stood and turned to face Ryan as well. "I'm Kar McGewen."

If Ryan hadn't researched the Raging Dragons he would have been surprised to see twin faces staring back at him, but he knew all about the McGewen twins. They both had dark brown hair and brown eyes not to mention the same face, but Ryan was trained to notice things. He could instantly see the difference between the two. There was a certain hard edge to Ben's eyes, a distrustful shadow that told Ryan without words he would have to earn the man's trust. But in Kar's eyes he could see a warmth and playfulness that wasn't present in his twin. The only obvious physical difference between them was the scar above Kar's left eye.

"Nice to meet you both." Ryan said, giving them a polite smile.

Ryan noticed that the third man on the couch hadn't moved. He could see unruly dark black hair, but that was it. Just when he was wondering if the man would ever stand up and introduce himself, Kar addressed the man.

"Dude, don't be rude. Stand up and introduce yourself."

The man gave an audible sigh. "How many times have I told you not to call me dude?"

"About as many times as I've ignored it." Kar replied with a playful smirk. "Now stand up and introduce yourself."

There was another irritated sigh and the man finally stood. When he turned to face Ryan, the cop instantly knew who it was before the man spoke. "I'm Speed, you're Ryan, nice to meet you and goodbye."

Ryan watched in stunned confusion as the man known as Speed, one of the most famous fighters in the Underground Fighting League, strode past him and out of the room without so much as a glance back at anyone. He shouldn't have been surprised though. Timothy "Speed" Speedle was known for his gruff nature and often rude behavior. Ryan assured himself that he would be more prepared for Speed's attitude the next time around.

"Don't mind him. Tim treats everyone that way." Kar said.

Before anyone could say anything else Horatio's cell phone rang. He smiled apologetically at Ryan. "Can you two finish the tour and show him to his apartment?"

"No problem H." Kar said cheerfully.

With Kar leading the way Ryan followed him back into the lobby with Ben right behind him. Some might have expected Ben to walk beside his twin, but Ryan could feel the underlying intention. Ben was making a statement. He was telling Ryan that he didn't trust him and that he was going to watch his brother's back. Ryan could understand the sentiment and wondered exactly what it would take to get past Ben's barriers.

"Over there is the dinning room where we eat breakfast together every morning. We have a chef who comes in and fixes the best breakfast. On Friday nights we have dinner together." Kar explained, pointing the room connected to the common room.

"How many people live here?" Ryan asked.

"Well, there's twelve members of the Raging Dragons, including yourself now. We have the support staff. The rest are strays Horatio has picked up." Kar explained.

"Strays?"

"Horatio likes to help the unfortunate." Ben answered. "Guy has a big heart."

Ryan wondered how someone who supported a League where men and women were regularly beaten to death could possibly have a big heart. It almost seemed a contradiction and it was one Ryan looked forward to finding the answer to.

There were two other rooms on the ground floor. One was the security room where the recording devices for the security cameras were. The other room was Horatio's office which he was told had an "open door" policy. Kar made sure he understood that Horatio would never turn him away if he needed to talk. Again it was slightly baffling how such a supposedly caring man supported such a bloodthirsty sport.

They took the elevator to the first floor where the apartments started. Kar led the way to this first apartment and Ryan was slightly surprised to see a name, Delko, labeled in gold across the door. It reminded him of dressing rooms for wrestlers. He wondered why they did it, but wasn't going to ask as Kar knocked lightly on the door. There was only a short pause before the door opened and Ryan saw the tall, dark and handsome fighter many women swooned over.

"Hey Delko, you said you wanted us to bring the new guy to you." Kar said by way of explaining Ryan's presence.

Ryan felt Delko's eyes sweep over him and took a moment to return the favor. Eric Delko was a gorgeous man, which Ryan wasn't afraid to admit to himself. Slightly taller than Ryan, Delko had a lean and muscular frame that in a relaxed posture hid the brutality he was capable of in the cage. From reading his file, Ryan knew that gaining this man's trust would be instrumental in being accepted into the team.

Delko smiled brightly and stepped out of his apartment. "So, you're the kickboxer that H recruited, huh?"

Ryan stuck out his hand. "I'm Ryan Wolfe."

"Eric Delko."

"He's already met Speed." Kar announced with a smirk.

"If you can call that a meeting." Ben retorted with a matching smirk.

Eric laughed, eyes still fixed on Ryan. "I'm guessing he gave you the "nice to meet you and goodbye" treatment. He does that to everyone at first."

"In fact don't be surprised if you never get more than one or two words spoken to you." Kar said.

For some reason that notion bothered Ryan, but he didn't bring it up. "If I'm going to meet the whole team, why isn't it all at once? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Trust me, this is a lot easier." Eric said, smirking at the idea of all those personalities in one room. He didn't think meeting the whole team at once would be a wise decision. "You'll get a chance to actually meet everyone."

"Except Warrick, cause he's in the hospital right now." Kar spoke up. "He'll be home in a day or two."

Ryan watched as Eric eyed the twins, looked at Ryan, and then back at the twins again. "Why don't you boys run along. I'll show Ryan around."

Kar opened his mouth to object, but Ben grabbed his arm and pulled his twin down the hall to the elevator. Eric watched them go before turning his attention back to Ryan. He stared at Ryan a few moments longer than was polite and Ryan was just about to say something when Eric turned and shut his apartment door. When Eric turned around he immediately started walking and led Ryan around the corner and over to the next apartment door labeled Stokes. He knocked three times and it was only a moment's pause before the door opened.

"Hey Delko, I thought for sure the twin terrors would be showing the new guy around." The man standing in the doorway said. He had a warm Texan accent that was open and friendly. He shot Ryan a grin and held out his hand. "Nick Stokes."

Ryan took the hand and shook. "Ryan Wolfe."

Ryan was treated to the same scrutiny as before, which he readily returned. Nick Stokes was the embodiment of what a Lightweight fighter should be. He was a lean mean fighting machine who had the reputation of being a brick wall in the cage. His eyes were dark, but held a sparkle of something Ryan couldn't quite put his finger on. Ryan could see why Nick had so many female fans.

"Ryan asked why we were introducing him to everyone one at a time." Eric informed his teammate.

Nick laughed loudly. "Oh man, that would be a sight to see."

"Can you imagine Battle in the same room as Tom? They'd kill each other."

"If Funsch didn't kill him first."

Ryan knew he was missing some facts, but he did recognize the names. Obviously there were some integral aspects to the team he was going to have to familiarize himself with. For the moment he just went along with what they were saying, beginning to get a feel for the interaction between the teammates.

"You're a quiet one, huh." Nick said with a wide smile.

"Would you rather have another Kar? Or god forbid we get another Tom." Eric replied.

Ryan watched as Nick shuddered at the thought. "I see your point. I'll take another quiet one any day." He leaned against he doorway. "Now, you've got a lot of people to meet so you'd better get to it."

Eric agreed with his teammate. Ryan and Nick exchanged goodbyes before Eric led him down the hall and around the corner to the next apartment on the floor. The door was labeled Funsch and Eric banged harshly. After a moment there was no answer and Eric sighed and banged again.

"Fuck off!" A voice shouted from inside.

"Don't be that way Funsch. Our new teammate's here." Eric called back.

"He can fuck off too!"

Eric glared at the door for a moment before he rolled his eyes and led Ryan away. They went around the corner to the last apartment on the floor. The door was label Jenson and there was a bright pink post-it note stuck to it. Eric pulled it off, glanced at it, then handed it to Ryan. Ryan took it with a confused frown and looked down at it.

_Welcome to the Dragons' Lair. I meant to be here to meet you in person, but I have to help take care of Warrick. I'll drop by your place when I get back and we can officially meet._

_Your friendly neighborhood Runner, Tyler Jenson._

_P.S. Don't let the big guys scare you. Their bark is worse than their bite._

"New teammates are a big deal around here, huh?" Ryan mused as he folded the note and put it in his pocket.

For a moment Eric didn't reply and Ryan got a feeling that there was a long-winded in depth explanation and a shortened version. At some point and time he was going to want the in depth version, but for the moment his head hurt too much to deal with that. Eric seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"This team is a family. It's dysfunctional and not always cohesive, but it's the only family some of us have." Eric explained. "You're not just joining a team, you're joining the family."

That explained a lot. He'd read the team's professional profiles and knew all about their fighting records and things of that nature, but he knew nothing about their personal lives. Just by listening to Eric talk Ryan got a feeling that this team was Eric's only family. He had to remind himself that he was a cop and he couldn't let himself get attached to anyone or he could compromise his mission.

Eric led him back to the elevator and they skipped the second floor and went up to the third. "That floor just has a few families who Horatio took in."

"Do they participate in the dinners and movie night?" Ryan asked.

"Not usually. Most of them like to keep to themselves. Once a month Horatio has our chef, Beck, cook a feast for the whole building and we eat dinner together." Eric explained. "You'll meet them at some point and time I'm sure. For now I'm just introducing you to the team and support staff."

"Support staff?"

"Well, that would have been Tyler, but he's been pulled to look after Warrick. We also have two other Runners who you'll meet in a little bit."

"What do you mean by Runners?" Ryan asked. There was a lot of information to take in, but he wanted to know everything important.

Eric led Ryan over to the first door to the right of the elevator and paused. "They're helpers. Like personal assistants only they're for the whole team. We started out with just Don, but as the team grew we needed more Runners to take care of things. The press likes to make them out to be slaves and on some teams they might be, but for us they're just more members of the family."

Ryan nodded in understanding and turned his attention to the door. He swallowed hard at the name he saw on there. Battle. He wasn't even sure he wanted to meet the undefeated UFL Heavyweight Champion. No one in their right mind wanted to be within ten feet of the guy. Ryan was no coward, but he didn't feel comfortable with the idea of knowing a guy who once crushed an opponent's skull.

"Scared?"

Ryan jerked his head to look at Eric who was grinning at him. "No."

"If he likes you you'll have nothing to worry about." Eric told him. He smirked and added, "If he doesn't like you I'd avoid him."

Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but Eric knocked on the door and he swallowed his words. He half hoped Battle would be like Funsch and not open up, but his hopes were shot down when the door swung open. Battle was every bit as intimidating as Ryan thought he would be. The Champion stood at an imposing 6'5'' that made Ryan feel like a child next to him. The bald head and piercing eyes just added to the intimidation and his clothes hid the tribal tattoos Ryan knew were there.

"Gonna stand there and stare all night?" Battle demanded.

Ryan swallowed nervously and shot Eric a sidelong look. "I'm...uh..."

"Your name is uh?" Battle grunted, eyes narrowing.

Eric cleared his throat and shot the taller man a disapproving look. "Damn Battle, you don't have to go out of your way to intimidate the kid."

"Gotta get my kicks somehow." Battle retorted. A smile flickered across his face, but was quickly gone. "You're Ryan Wolfe, right? New Lightweight fighter that got Horatio's attention."

"That's me."

"Well, now we've met and you can be on your way. Goodnight boys."

With that Battle stepped back into his apartment and slammed the door. Ryan blinked a few times, still a little shell shocked at the quick, but intense meeting. Eric laughed and took him by the arm and coaxed him into walking. Ryan hoped they didn't have any more meetings like that.

"That actually went pretty well." Eric said, smirking at his newest teammate's stunned look.

"I thought he was going to eat me."

Eric laughed. "Nah, he didn't threaten you, so he must like you."

"Did he threaten you the first time?" Ryan asked.

"Course not. Everyone likes me." Eric replied with a cheeky grin.

"I bet Walter Marcos would disagree about thirteen times." A new voice cut into the conversation.

The speaker was leaning his back against the railing and facing another man, both of them with beer bottles in hand. He was tall and skinny, obviously a Lightweight competitor. Like many of the other guys Ryan had met already he had black hair and brown eyes. He had the air of a man completely relaxed with his surroundings. The newcomer didn't even concern him in the least, but his face lit up with a welcoming smile.

The other man was equally as tall and had a bit more of a build to him. He had dark hair and gray-blue eyes that had a slight manic spark to them. His whole manner was that of someone who just didn't care which was apparent by his blue jeans and old stained white shirt. He looked like some kind of wannabe rebel without a cause.

"Yeah, well Walter Marcos is a jackass." Eric retorted. "But we're not going to soil this good atmosphere with talks of traitors."

The wannabe rebel took a swig from his bottle. "Gonna introduce us to your tagalong Delko?"

"Ryan Wolfe this is Ray Templeton," Eric pointed to the man leaning against the rail, who held his hand up in a brief wave. "And Tom Marshall. They're the troublemakers of the team."

"No, Tom is the troublemaker I just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ray said with an innocent look that wasn't fooling anyone.

Eric snorted. "Yeah, wrong place and wrong time every time, Temple. You're not fooling anyone."

"Guy can try." Temple said with a shrug. He took a swig of his beer. "The twins aren't at home."

"He's already met them." Eric replied. "You two looking for trouble tonight?"

"If you're asking if we plan on hitting the clubs the answer is yes, but you're not coming." Tom replied.

"Why not?" Eric almost whined.

"Because we spend more time trying to make sure you don't hit on the wrong girls that we never get any action of our own." Temple said with a smirk. "You can always pick the ones that are married with possessive husbands."

"Or the ones that are violently homophobic." Tom added.

Eric's eyes grew wide and he shot them a heated look. "Guys."

"Delko, this city has the highest acceptance level of gays and lesbians than in any other city in the country. Half the population is at least bisexual." Tom said in a bored tone.

"You don't have a problem with homosexuals, do you?" Temple asked, fixing Ryan with an intense stare.

At least this was something Ryan wouldn't have to lie about. "Nope."

"See, I knew my gaydar wasn't off." Tom said with a smirk.

Ryan gaped. "Wh-what?"

"Oh don't tell me you haven't admitted it to yourself yet."

"I--."

"Tom! Play nice." Eric jumped to Ryan's defense. "You just met the guy and already you've got him stuttering. Give him at least a week before you start in on him."

Tom shrugged and drank his beer. Temple leaned forward and smacked him on the back of the head. Tom coughed on his beer and shot a glare at his friend. Temple glared back and it seemed like an entire argument was shared in silence. Ryan could see his opening to get a shot back at Tom and either get on their bad side or earn a little respect. He had a feeling with these guys brash was the way to go.

"Sorry for outing you. I hope you're not offended and that it won't affect our working relationship." Tom said with a tone that indicated it was a well-rehearsed apology.

"That's okay Tom." Ryan replied with the hints of a mischievous smirk. "But tell me Tom, how long have you two been fucking?"

Temple choked on his beer and Eric let out a bark of laughter while Tom gaped at him like a fish out of water. Tom grabbed his friend and slapped him on the back a few times. Ryan smirked at them. That was all the reaction he needed to know he had guessed right.

"Nice. Most of the time it takes a newbie a few days to crack back at Tom." Eric said with laughter still in his voice.

"He's got your number Tom." Temple teased before he coughed a few more times.

"'Bout time someone did." Eric added.

Tom shot his partner in crime a glare and then transferred it to Eric. "Don't you have someone else to bother Delko?"

"In case you didn't catch that, that's Tom's not so subtle attempt to tell you to get lost." Temple clarified, obviously enjoying himself.

"Yeah, we'll leave you two to get plastered by yourselves." With that Eric turned and led Ryan back to the elevator. "The other two apartments are Ben and Kar's."

Ryan wondered how in the hell he was going to keep track of so many people. He was going to have to observe them all to make sure none of them were in on the drug trade. Even though he had read all their professional profiles and knew there were a lot of Dragons it was just hitting him just how big the assignment really was.

On the next floor they stopped at Ryan was briefly introduced to Don Flack and David Hodges. Both men were Runners and were too busy to actually talk. Don promised he would catch up with Ryan later while David just gave a dismissive roll of the eyes and was gone. Eric didn't seem at all fazed and instead took Ryan up to the next floor. It was there that Ryan met the man he knew he'd have to watch out for.

Eric knocked on a door labeled Messer and moments later it snapped open. The very first things Ryan noticed were the intense blue eyes. Where Horatio's were warm and welcoming, this man's eyes were hard and cold. When Ryan finally blinked and could look at something else he realized he was seeing the first and maybe only blond on the team. But as quick as he looked away his eyes were drawn back to the piercing stare of those blue eyes.

"Danny, where are your manners?" Eric demanded. "You have to wait at least a day to give the newbie that look."

"What look?" Danny asked innocently, looking away from Ryan for the first time. He had a New York accent that Ryan found appealing. "I'm not giving him a look."

"Yes you were. You were giving him your I-know-how-to-kill-with-one-hit look." Eric retorted in a tone that suggested Ryan was not the first one to receive that look.

"Did not." Danny argued petulantly.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"How about we say he didn't and get on with this." Ryan spoke up. He was hoping that by jumping in on Danny's side him might gain a little ground there.

Danny shot him a bright smile. "See, the kid even agrees with me." He held out his hand and all trace of any of the earlier hostility was gone. "Danny Messer."

The newest Dragon took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Ryan Wolfe."

"Welcome to the Raging Dragons, Wolfe." Danny said. "Sorry about that look that I didn't give you. Picked up the habit from Battle."

"It's a bad habit." Eric told him. "Makes you look like a mean guy."

"I am a mean guy." Danny retorted.

Eric laughed at that. "Dude, you are the nicest guy on the team."

"Next to you of course."

"Of course."

Ryan relaxed a little more as the two men bantered. He could tell they were really close. Like brothers. He supposed it made sense in all reality. These guys never knew if the next fight would be their last.

"Well, only one more to go." Eric announced, bringing Ryan back from his thoughts.

"Speed?" Danny guessed.

"Nope, Speed was one of the first he met." Eric replied.

Danny laughed. "Bet you got the "nice to meet you and goodbye" treatment, right?"

"Yup. I thought it was rude at first, but I'm starting to think that's just his usual greeting." Ryan said, feeling at ease with these two men or as at ease as he could be.

"Well, if you're on this level already I'm guessing Deke is the last one." Danny took another guess, looking at Eric for confirmation. At Eric's nod Danny winced. "Deke is kinda in a mood right now."

"We'll make it short then." Eric said, turning to lead Ryan back to the elevator.

"Oh I have no doubt about that." Ryan heard Danny muttered as they walked away.

Ryan had a bad feeling about this last meeting. His cop instincts kicked in and he knew he didn't want to meet this Deke character. He knew it would look suspicious if he didn't, but Danny's words seemed kind of ominous. Nevertheless he obediently followed Eric when the elevator stopped again. Eric led him to the far side where he knocked on a door labeled Kay. At first there was no answer and Eric raised his hand to knock again when the door snapped open.

"I'm Deke, you're Ryan. Hello and goodbye."

And then the door was shut again. Ryan blinked, once more surprised by a curt greeting and dismissal. Ryan only got a chance to notice two things. One was that Deke was a pretty well built African American. The other was that he was bald. It wasn't much to go on.

"Wow, he really is in a mood." Eric murmured. He turned to look at Ryan. "Give him some time I'm sure he'll warm up to you."

Ryan decided to change the subject before Eric could notice just how uncomfortable that brief encounter had made him. "So, now I get to go to my apartment, right?"

"Yup, now that you've run the gauntlet." Eric confirmed. He led Ryan back to the elevator and they went up a few floors. "You're on the last floor with Speed, Horatio, and Ronon."

"Is Ronon a fighter?" Ryan asked. He hadn't received a file under the name Ronon.

"Nah, he's our nightshift security guard." Eric replied. "You probably won't meet him for a while."

Ryan accepted that and followed Eric out of the elevator. Eric stopped at the first apartment on the right. Ryan was only slightly surprised to see it was already labeled Wolfe in the same gold plating at the others. It touched a distant part of his soul that was still yearning for a place to belong.

"We already brought your stuff up here, but none of it's unpacked. Your kitchen is stocked too, but if you need anything else you can have one of the Runners get it for you or get it yourself."

"Why don't you just do things for yourself instead of using other people to do it?" Ryan asked.

"Well, part of the reason is to give kids jobs when no one else will. The other reasons are a little more personal." Eric answered. "Most of the times Runners are used to get things that we...are too embarrassed to get for ourselves or are having a hard time finding." He leaned against the railing across from the door. "I'm going to leave you alone now to get settled. There's a cell phone in there with all our numbers programmed in as well as some other important numbers. You'll want to keep that on you at all times because that's how the Commissioner likes to announce matches."

"What's the average amount of matches?"

"One or two a month." Eric replied. "Maybe three."

"Makes sense. We had less fights than that in the kickboxing league I was in."

"Gotta bounce back quick here." Eric said. "Well, I'll leave you to your unpacking. If you need me you know where to find me."

"Thanks."

Eric turned and walked away while Ryan entered the apartment. Whatever he had expected it was not what he found. It was what he imagined it would feel like to walk into a penthouse. Whoever had designed it definitely knew what they were doing. Further exploration showed it was fully furnished with a king-sized bed, a couch, a chair, and a full entertainment system. Boxes of his stuff were stacked everywhere and he groaned at the idea of unpacking it all.

With resignation he decided to start on his bedroom stuff. He had clothes and personal items that would make him feel more at ease. As he was working he began to think about all his new teammates. He didn't think he was going to have to worry about Kar, Temple, Tom, Eric, or Nick. But he had his concerns about a few of the others. His two biggest concerns were Speed and Danny. Both of their fathers were sponsors of the League not to mention two of the men Ryan had to investigate. It would be in his best interest to get on both their good sides. His meeting with Speed didn't inspire much confidence and he wasn't exactly sure what to make of Danny. After the initial hostility Danny was friendly and warm, but there was something about him that screamed danger. Ryan was going to have to be careful around him.

"What have I gotten myself into?"


	2. Kaos and the Wolfe

AN: -growls- I've been trying to post this for the past twenty-four hours. In case this ever happens again keep a close eye on my livejournalwhere I will be posting each chapter regardless of what does. And with that brief rant done, enjoy the story!

V**Kaos and the Wolfe**V

Despite his late night spent unpacking his things, Ryan was awake at six in the morning just like he always was. It took him a few minutes to orient himself and remember where he was. Once he figured that out he grabbed a change of clothes and took a nice long hot shower. Feeling fresh and ready to face the new day, Ryan grabbed his keycard and slipped out of his room. A little early morning reconnaissance couldn't hurt. He didn't think anyone would be up this early so he could check out the perimeter to set up an escape route in case things went bad.

The front desk was empty when he arrived on the ground floor. He could hear the sounds of movement back in the dinning room area and assumed it was the chef fixing breakfast. For the time being he was going to just avoid meeting anyone else. He was still reeling from meeting almost all the Raging Dragons the previous night. They were quite the characters.

The morning was warm with a gentle breeze. Dew still clung to the grass, but the sun was starting to move up in the sky. It wasn't often that he took the time to observe the beauty of the world, but as he walked around the side of the building he couldn't help but look at the sunrise. The sky was a fiery mix of gold, red, and purple that was simply breathtaking. For a moment he stood and gazed at the sunrise that represented the things that were still beautiful and good in such a corrupt world.

Shaking himself out of his sudden sentimental mood the undercover cop laughed at himself and moved on. He rounded the corner and started toward the back of the building when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His instincts and cop training screamed danger and he swung around. Ryan didn't even get a chance to fight. A large hand closed around his throat and he was pulled off his feet and slammed against the side of the building.

"Who the hell are you?" A deep voice growled menacingly. Ryan struggled against his captor. "Did Team Kaos send you? Doesn't matter, you picked the wrong place to trespass."

The hand squeezed tighter and suddenly Ryan couldn't breathe at all. He struggled fiercely, but the big man was too strong. His struggles started getting weaker and the world started to go black. This was not how Ryan expected to die. Ambushed by some Neanderthal too testosterone pumped to let him explain. What an embarrassment.

"Ronon! Put him down you big ape!"

"He's trespassing." The big man growled.

"You numbskull!" Ryan vaguely recognized the voice, but in his fuzzy mind he couldn't place it. "That's the new Lightweight fighter Horatio brought in."

Finally the hand around his throat let him go and Ryan slid to the ground as he gasped for breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but for a moment didn't have the strength to look at the owner. His breathing was starting to come back under control as he listened to the two men argue.

"He was snooping around." Ronon snarled.

"He lives here Ronon. He has the right to walk around outside without big apes trying to choke the life out of him." The familiar voice retorted. "Horatio will not be happy when he hears about this."

"You gonna squeal on me Speed?" Ronon hissed.

"I won't need to. You just left your handprint around Ryan's neck. As soon as Horatio sees that he'll start asking questions and he'll find the answers."

Speed. Speed was his rescuer? That was totally unexpected and Ryan snapped his head to look at the scruffy fighter. Speed was kneeling beside him and looking back at him with a calm, almost emotionless face. It was only in those deep eyes that Ryan was able to catch the traces of concern. Speed raised an eyebrow at him before turning his attention to Ronon once more.

"I think your shift is over big man. It would be in your best interest to go home." Speed said, his voice holding an edge of warning.

Ronon growled. "Are you threatening me? I could pop your head like a melon."

"Try it." Speed said, getting to his feet.

The two men glared at each other for a few long minutes before Ronon stalked away, growling under his breath. Speed glared after him for a moment then turned his attention back to Ryan and offered his hand. Ryan grabbed onto it and was mildly surprised as Speed yanked him to his feet with ease. The quick change from sitting to standing threw Ryan off balance and Speed's hand on his shoulder kept him from falling. When his head stopped spinning Ryan glanced over at his rescuer, but Speed had already turned and was walking away.

"Hey!" Ryan called, running to catch up with the older man.

"Don't thank me. I didn't do it for your benefit." Speed said, preempting anything Ryan was going to say. "Horatio would have been pissed, Eric would have been sulking, and we would be stuck searching for a new security guard after Battle killed Ronon."

That gave Ryan pause. Eric would have sulked? Battle would have killed Ronon? Why? Eric didn't really know him and Battle sure didn't seem to care when they met. But he didn't buy the excuses anyway. Speed had been concerned. The concern had been right there in his eyes for Ryan to see.

"It's breakfast time." Speed called back to the confused newbie.

Ryan shook his head and followed the older man back into the building. Ronon was filling out some paperwork and growling at Archie whenever the doorman tried to talk to him. Ryan quickly looked away before the big brute got offended he was looking. Speed went straight to the room identified as the dinning room and Ryan followed, his stomach growling at the idea of food.

The dinning room was more like a dinning hall. There were dozens of round tables each with five chairs and along one wall was a long table that was loaded with food. There were muffins of all kinds, pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit, pitchers of different juices and two pitchers of milk. At one end was a cappuccino machine as well as two coffee machines with pots already made. The spread was impressive with enough food to feed an army. Which was a good thing because Ryan had a feeling that some of the guys could eat like an army.

Ryan went to the food table and grabbed a plate. He filled it with fruit and a few blueberry muffins and then went down to beverages and hesitated. He really needed some coffee to wake up, but apple juice would go better with the food. In the end he decided to get coffee after eating and poured a cup of apple juice. With that done he turned to face the tables and hesitated again. Where to sit? If he sat by himself he'd look like he didn't want anything to do with his teammates. Even the antisocial guys were sitting together at one table. But if he decided to sit with one of the groups they might feel like he was intruding.

"Hey Wolfe!"

Ryan turned at Danny's shout and found the older man waving him over. That was certainly a nice surprise, though he still thought he probably needed to keep a close eye on Danny. He didn't pass up the invite though and instead moved across the room to Danny's table. Eric, Ben, Kar, and someone Ryan didn't recognize were already seated at the table. Ryan took the empty seat between Eric and Ben and smiled his thanks at Danny.

"So, who'd you piss off already?" Eric asked. It was obvious they all noticed the hand shaped bruise around Ryan's neck. "I thought you did well last night."

"Was it Deke? Cause he's been in an awful mood since his girlfriend dumped him." Kar asked.

"No, it wasn't Deke." Ryan answered. He took a big bite of a muffin so he wouldn't have to immediately answer the question. He wasn't sure if he should tell them it was Ronon. They might see him as a squealer and then never tell him anything.

"My bet is on Ronon. That guy has never been good with newcomers." The unknown man piped up. He smiled at Ryan and held out his hand. "I'm Tyler Jenson, we didn't get to meet yesterday."

"Nice to meet you." Ryan said and shook the offered hand.

"Now answer the question. Did Ronon do that?" Eric demanded.

Ryan looked at him. "It was a misunderstanding. Speed cleared things up."

"Speed helped you?" Kar asked in surprise. "You might have a chance yet."

Ryan's reply was on the tip of his tongue when a shout from across the room grabbed everyone's attention. He saw a man he didn't recognize leap out of his seat and snatch Tom by the collar of his shirt. The angry man lifted Tom off his feet and shook him while yelling angrily.

"You goddamn trouble making punk!"

"I didn't mean for you to get hit!" Tom exclaimed.

"Well I did!"

"Funsch--." Temple started, but a furious look shut him up.

"Don't even get me started on you!" The man, now identified as Funsch, barked.

Ryan was a little surprised that no one was moving to help Tom. If they were such a family why were they leaving the guy to be throttled? The Raging Dragons were a bunch of confusing contradictions. He was starting to wonder if maybe he would have to try and make a stand for Tom when he saw Horatio enter the room.

"Evan, put him down." Horatio said calmly. "Tom, apologize for whatever you did."

"But--."

"Tom."

Funsch set Tom's feet back on the ground and crossed his arms. Tom stood staring up at his taller teammate with a frown on his face. Funsch growled. Tom took a step back.

"Sorry for hittin' ya with the muffin." Tom said hurriedly.

Funsch glared at him for a moment longer before his face broke. Ryan watched as Funsch ruffled Tom's hair and pushed him toward his seat. Tom batted the hands away, but Ryan could see he was relieved to be out of the big man's grasp. Funsch sat back down and returned to his meal and Tom did the same. After that the rest of the room went back to the conversations they had been involved in and it was like nothing had happened.

"That's why you didn't meet everyone at once." Eric said, bringing Ryan's attention back to the table. "Funsch and Tom are always at each other's throats."

"It's a love-hate relationship." Danny said. "They act like they hate each other, but you should have been here for the time some of Team Kaos ambushed Tom and Temple. Funsch, Deke, and I were headed back to the Lair when we just happened to walk by the alley. There were four of them and they were putting a serious hurting on Tom and Temple. Funsch attacked before Deke or I could react. It was not a pretty sight."

"He cracked the skulls of two of the guys and broke both arms of another. But the last guy, who had just stabbed Tom, got it the worst. Funsch practically destroyed him. He broke his leg in three places, broke six ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and beat his head against the sidewalk until the guys brains were practically coming out of his head." Kar explained the extent of Funsch's rage. "The guy survived, but he has the mentality of a six year old."

"Wow." Ryan murmured.

"Yeah, well, they may act antisocial and give off the air of not caring, but those big guys are extremely protective." Tyler said. "If you're lucky they'll include you."

"If I'm not I'll stay the hell out of their way." Ryan's reply earned him laughter from the other men.

Ryan listened as the other men began to banter back and forth. They sounded like brothers or at least what he imagined brothers to be like. He didn't have any of his own. Didn't actually have much of a family. He was a kid that went through the system until he was old enough to live on his own. He became a cop because he wanted to be able to dispense the justice he rarely saw done. His best bet of doing that was to get down and dirty and get right inside the worlds he wanted to take down. Get in, gather evidence, and take them down that's what he always did. But he was starting to get a feeling that things were going to get more complicated than that.

VVVV

Ryan's first impression of Commissioner Mobley was that he was a grade A asshole. He talked to Ryan as if he were a lower life form. Mobley gave him his fighter ID card and told him what it was for and that he would need it to get past security on the upper levels. He explained the rules, of which there were few, slowly and in small words as if he were explaining it to a third grader. Ryan sincerely hoped that Mobley had some part in the drug trade so that he could bust his ass hard.

"Do you understand the rules and regulations of this sport?" Mobley asked, sounding intensely bored.

"Yes." Ryan confirmed, trying not to grit his teeth.

"Good, your first match is tonight at 8 against Grant Morgan."

"What? But I haven't had any time to train." Ryan argued.

"This isn't the kickboxing league kid. You don't get a chance to train before every match. If you can't get used to that your time here will be very short." Mobley said with a nasty smirk. "Now, get out of my office."

Oh yeah, definitely hoped to bust Mobley's ass hard. Ryan managed to keep his cool until he was out of the office and then he growled all the way down the hall. He didn't have a reason to stick around the stadium. His match wasn't for hours, but the fights started in an hour and a lot of fighters were already there. It was a good chance to snoop around.

The upper level of the stadium where the offices were was well taken care of and brightly lit. There were security guards prowling around and he got stopped twice and had to show his ID card. One security guard in particular was a real jackass about it, but after hassling Ryan for a few minutes he was allowed to continue.

The entrance level where patrons came into the building was not quite as nice as the office level. There were merchandise booths, concession stands, and other more necessary amenities. Ryan used his ID card to get into the seating area and got his first look at the fighting arena. The arena was a little bigger than a boxing ring and was surrounded by a steel cage. There was only one way in and out which was locked as soon as the fighters entered. The floor was padded, but Ryan had a feeling it could still hurt quite a bit.

There was a match going on when he entered and he decided it was in his best interest to see a match first hand before he competed. He found the section designated for fighters only and took a seat away from the other group of men already there. The match was already well under way and one of the fighters was already bloody and struggling. The referee was circling just out of the reach of both fighters and watching just as avidly as the audience. There were so few rules that refs were almost unnecessary. As the bloodied fighter hit the mats the ref forced the other fighter to back away.

"Get up you fucking pussy!"

The taunt was picked up and the whole crowd began to chant "pussy" trying to get the downed fighter to get up. The ref continually asked the man if he wanted to surrender, but the bloody fighter refused to submit. Eventually he staggered to his feet and took a lunging swing at his opponent. The other man caught his wrist jerked him forward and slammed a backhanded blow to the nose. Things quickly went downhill from there as the crowd roared with approval. With one final, deafening blow one man went down and the ref called the match.

"Winner by knockout, Jamie Knolls!"

The crowd's response was a thunderous roar. Ryan watched as the cage door was unlocked and medics went in with a stretcher. The winner, Jamie Knolls, circled the inside of the cage pumping the crowd up as the medics loaded the loser onto the stretcher. Knolls strutted out in front of the stretcher and disappeared into the passages leading back to the locker rooms. The medics went around the outside of the cage and down a different passage. As both competitors moved out of sight the crowd slowly calmed again though there was still a buzz of excitement.

Ryan stood from his seat and headed toward the passage to the locker rooms. Two security guards stopped him and checked his ID before letting him pass. Just out of sight of the crowd the passage came to a flight of stairs that led down into a dark hall. Ahead of him he could see Knolls being congratulated by some other fighters. His instincts screamed danger and he thought it best to avoid them. He moved to pass them, but they noticed his presence and two of the guys blocked his way.

"New fighter, huh?" One of the men said. Ryan couldn't see details in the dark, but he could tell four of them were bigger than him. They were Light Heavyweights at least, while the fifth guy was about his size.

"Fresh blood." The other man said, elbowing his partner.

"Should we give him the Team Kaos greeting?"

Ryan twisted his head to see that the other three men had moved to stand behind him. Ryan knew he was in trouble. The last time he had been in this kind of position he'd had his partner with him. John could sweet talk them out of anything, but on the occasions that his powers of persuasion failed John was a real fighter. Ryan wouldn't have been afraid if John had been by his side, but outnumbered and alone he presented an easy target.

Movement in front of him caught Ryan's attention and he looked forward again, but that just gave the guys behind him the opening they needed. He was seized roughly and a hand dipped into his pocket to grab his ID. There was no doubt in his mind he was about to take a vicious beating because, everyone with any knowledge of the UFL knew about the intense hatred between Team Kaos and the Raging Dragons.

"Ryan Wolfe...Lightweight class...ah shit, the fucker is a Dragon." The man growled the last part. "Grant, this is the little bastard you're fighting later."

"Want us to soften him up for ya, Grant?"

"Nah, little fuck doesn't look like much." Replied a voice that must have been Grant's. "Although, I think I'll give him something to think about."

With that Ryan was shoved against the wall. As soon as his back touched the wall a fist connected with his stomach and the air whooshed out of his lungs. He crouched against he wall as he struggled to get his breath back as the members of Team Kaos laughed at him.

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. "Back the fuck off!"

Ryan could feel the men back away from him, but that was only to turn and face the new challenger. When he could breathe again he looked up at his rescuer and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What are you going to do about it Speedle? You think you scare us by yourself?" Grant sneered.

"Maybe I should remind you of the last time we tangled, Morgan." Speed sneered. Ryan was a little surprised to see this different side of the man. "You left the cage talking to your mommy about baking cookies." There were growls from the group and several of the bigger guys took a step toward Speed. "Might I add that Battle and Funsch were only a few minutes behind me and will be walking by any time."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Ryan looked behind Speed to see Battle and Funsch quickly approaching. Neither man looked very pleased at all.

"We were just saying "hi" to your new teammate." Grant said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"This is your chance to say goodbye and walk away." Funsch growled. "Otherwise none of you will make your matches tonight."

"Nah, we're good." Grant said as if he wasn't terrified of Battle and Funsch. "See ya later Wolfe."

Ryan watched as the members of Team Kaos strolled away as if they hadn't been about to beat the shit out of him. His thoughts were taken off of them when Speed moved to his side with Battle and Funsch close behind. They were silent as they gently led him the rest of the way down the hall and around into the brighter corridor that contained the locker rooms. Once in the light they stopped and looked him over. For the second time that day Ryan could see concern in Speed's eyes that wasn't mirrored on his face.

"That's the second time today I've saved your ass. I hope you don't plan on making a habit of it." Speed said. "I don't play hero very well."

"It's not like I'm trying to get my ass kicked." Ryan retorted. He was starting to get to the point where everything was irritating. "I haven't done anything to anyone."

"That's part of your problem kid." Battle said gruffly. "Actions speak louder than words around here."

"If you want any respect you have to earn it in that cage." Funsch added. "But you'll always have to watch your back around those assholes."

"I didn't even know it was Team Kaos until they said something." Ryan replied as he gingerly rubbed his stomach.

Speed cocked his head and moved before anyone could ask him what he was doing. He pushed Ryan's hands away and lifted the bottom of the shirt enough for him to see if there was any damage done. Ryan was frozen, having been surprised by Speed's quick move. Speed prodded Ryan's lower ribs to see if any of them had been broken, but there was no give and Ryan didn't seem to have any pain there. Ryan suppressed the shiver that Speed's touch elicited.

"You're going to have to guard your stomach tonight." Speed advised Ryan. "Morgan's going to know you're already hurting there."

With that little bit of advice Speed walked away. Ryan watched him go with a look of shock still frozen on his face. It slowly sank in that Speed had just said something that wasn't sarcastic or rude. The bigger shock was his body's reaction to Speed's touch. What was the shiver all about?

"He's going to mother hen you now." Battle said with laughter in his voice.

Ryan turned to look at the big man and raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't seem like the mother hen type."

"Oh he's not your common mother hen type. He'll do it in his own way." Funsch explained with a grin.

Ryan was uncomfortable with the idea of anyone watching over him for any reason. Just the idea that someone was watching him caused him to instinctively glance over his shoulder. He wasn't paranoid to think that people were always watching him when they weren't, but knowing that someone was watching him bothered him.

"You have hours until your match. My suggestion is to hit the gym and get warmed up. Maybe see if one of the other little guys will do a warm up match with you." Battle advised.

"Work on quick knockouts Wolfe, otherwise Morgan is going to follow up on the advantage he gave himself." Funsch added before he and Battle walked away.

Ryan winced and rubbed his stomach. Yeah, Grant Morgan had hit him hard, a lot harder than he'd been hit in a long time. The last guy to hit him that hard had been fucked up on Meth and ready to take on the entire police force. Ryan knew he was going to have to get used to taking blows like that, but he had just been unprepared for it. The next time he faced Grant Morgan he would be ready.


	3. Battling Dragons

After wandering the halls for a few minutes Ryan found the locker room designated for the Raging Dragons. Inside he found several members of the team scattered about. Ben and Kar going over strategy and both were already in their fighting attire-black shorts that had dragon on one pant leg and their names printed across the rear in red. Across the aisle from them Eric and Nick were talking, both in only their fighting gear, while they oiled up for their matches. Ryan smirked as he thought about all the women who would have loved to see that sight.

His thoughts stuttered to a stop as he saw what was near the back of the locker room...a shirtless Speed. Like many of the other fighters Speed shaved his chest hair and was in the process of oiling his arms. Ryan couldn't even think to wonder why the oil. He couldn't think of anything. All he could do was stare oh so obviously at the dark haired beauty.

"You'd be safer taking a picture."

Ryan jerked out of his stupor at the voice in his ear. He spun to face the speaker and felt his face grow hot at the knowing smirk he found on Tom's face. The last thing he wanted to do was give Tom ammunition to humiliate him. Tom's smirk grew at the blush on Ryan's face, but he didn't say anything. He simply waved a hand toward one of the lockers.

"Your competition gear is inside," Tom explained. The smirk never left his face and Ryan was sure he was going to hear about it later.

Ryan nodded and took a step toward his locker, but paused. "What's the oil for?"

"Makes it hard for the opponent to get a grip on you," Tom replied.

"And it makes all the female fans drool," Temple added as he walked by.

Tom followed his partner while Ryan stepped up to his locker. He pulled up on the handle and swung it open. Inside he found a pair of shorts like the ones the other Dragons were wearing with a dragon on one leg and 'Wolfe' across the rear. It was then that he hesitated. Should he change and warm up before his match like Battle and Funsch suggested or go back out and snoop around more.

"I hear you've got a match tonight, Wolfe," Danny said, catching Ryan's attention. Ryan looked to see the older man stroll into the locker room like he owned the place. "You should warm up for it. Grant Morgan is going to give you hell."

"Grant Morgan? That's his opponent?" Nick demanded.

"Yup. You should probably give him some tips Nicky. Boy'll need it against that ass," Danny suggested.

Ryan knew from Nick's profile that he had a long time feud with Grant Morgan. They had fought numerous times since Nick entered the League. They knew each other's fighting styles perfectly and there was no one better to coach Ryan than Nick. Nick came to the same conclusion as he took a seat on the bench facing Ryan. Ryan leaned back against his locker and listened.

"First and foremost. Morgan loves cheap shots. Strikes below the belt are against the rules, but if he can get one in without the ref seeing he will," Nick said, his voice taking on a no nonsense tone. "Second, he has a nasty uppercut that he follows with a kick to the ribs. It's like a finishing move because once that kick connects you're out."

"I felt a punch already," Ryan mused. "If he kicks harder than that..."

"If he connects with a kick to the head, and gets it just right, he could snap your neck," Nick warned. "Your best bet is to get in close, crowd his space so he can't get a kick, or stay out of his range."

"Anything else?" Ryan asked. He genuinely appreciated the advice.

"Yeah, good luck. Mobley was a real ass to schedule you against Morgan for your first match."

"Why does everyone make it sound like I don't have a chance?" Ryan demanded, mildly insulted.

"Because we don't know how good of a fighter you are and Grant is a vicious competitor who has killed more men in the Lightweight division than anyone else," Nick replied.

Ryan absorbed that little piece of information with growing apprehension. They were making Grant Morgan sound like a monster. Ryan's on brief encounter with the man supported that. He hit like a sledgehammer and Ryan knew that he wouldn't be able to take too many hits like that.

Ryan's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the locker room opened and an official stuck his head in. "McGewen brothers, you're up."

Ryan watched with mild fascination as the rest of the team wished them good luck in their own ways. The twins pulled on their gloves and headed out. Eric patted Ben's back as they passed, telling him to be careful. Ben threw him a smirk and then the twins were gone. Ryan half wanted to go watch their match, but he knew he needed to warm up and get ready for his match. He grabbed his gear and went into the bathroom attached to the locker room and got changed. When he came out several of his teammates shot him amused looks at his modesty, but it was Speed's unflinching stare that really caught his attention. Ryan blushed and looked away, completely missing the knowing smirks Tom and Temple exchanged behind his back.

"The gym is right down the hall. Want someone to show you?" Eric asked as Ryan put his neatly folded clothes in his locker.

"No thanks, I'm sure I can find it," Ryan replied.

Before anyone could push the issue Ryan made his exit. He waited until the door swung shut behind him before he headed off in the direction he'd seen the gym in his earlier wandering. Inside he found everything one would expect a gym to have including a padded area for sparring. The room wasn't empty and in fact Ryan was mildly surprised to find his partner in there working over the punching bag. Ryan knew they needed to talk, but John subtly scratched his ear-the signal for surveillance.

"You got a staring problem?" John demanded.

Ryan narrowed his eyes and played along. "No, but you've got an attitude problem."

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

"Give it an adjustment."

John smirked, nodding his head toward the mats. "You think so? Let's go then."

The two men took their places on the mats and fell into fighting stances. In reality a fight between them would never go anywhere. They knew each other's moves inside and out. They trained intensely together to be ready for the assignment. Not that any amount of training could really prepare a person for a fight that could be a life or death matter.

"You're awfully scrawny to be so cocky," John sneered. Anyone listening in on the conversation was going to hear nothing but the two trying to outwit each other in an immature verbal duel, but over the years the two had worked out their own code for undercover work.

"Yeah, well I may be scrawny but I can still kick your ass," Ryan retorted. "You can't be that good anyway, you're not a part of a team."

"I don't need anyone to watch my back," John said. "I can do just fine on my own. I'm not a pussy like some people in this room."

They were the only two people in the gym.

That started the fight. Ryan faked a left hook and as John ducked he swung his right fist into an uppercut. The blow snapped John's head backwards and Ryan jabbed him in the ribs. John lashed out with a kick meant to get Ryan to back off, but Ryan absorbed the blow with his thigh and swung another punch at John's face. John blocked and jabbed at Ryan's midsection, which was blocked as the two backed away from one another.

"You messed up my hair," John snarled.

Ryan smirked. "Messed up your face too...oh wait...you're just naturally that ugly."

John growled and lunged, but Ryan sidestepped and swung a fist at the back of John's head. His partner spun and caught his fist and jerked him into a punch to the gut. Ryan barely got his arm up in time to block the blow and gave his partner a look meant to tell him not to do that again. He shoved John backwards and kicked him solidly in the chest. John went down and didn't get back up again. That was John's signal to Ryan to stop.

Ryan backed away from his partner and watched him for a moment before he turned away. He went over to the punching bag John had abandoned and began to throw punches and kicks at it. At the same time he thought about what he'd just learned from John, which admittedly wasn't much. John was okay on his own, probably staying in an apartment close by, but he hadn't managed to make contact with any of the drug dealers yet.

A sudden shove from behind caught him off guard. He stumbled forward and used the punching bag to regain his balance. He spun quickly and glared at John, playing his part perfectly.

"You may have won this time, but watch your back." John warned with a menacing glare.

"You don't scare me." Ryan snapped back.

John growled, but in the end just turned and stalked out of the gym. John's warning to Ryan to watch his back would have sounded like a threat to anyone listening it, but Ryan heard it for what it really was. They both knew the danger they were putting themselves in to bust up the drug ring, but Ryan knew that John was more worried about him than he was about himself. That's how John had always been. He looked out for Ryan before he looked out for himself and the truth was that Ryan did the same thing. It was part of what made them such a successful team. When the going got tough they could count on each other.

VVVV

Ryan felt he was as prepared for his match as he was going to be. He didn't think anything would really prepare him for a fight for his life, but he was confident. He knew he had to be confident he would win or he would never step into the cage. He was confident he could at least give Grant Morgan a run for his money.

Eric's match was scheduled right before his, so Ryan decided to go with some of the other guys to watch. He sat between Temple and Tom, wondering just how safe that really was, and waited for the match to begin. A bruised and battered Ben took a seat in front of Ryan just before the lights dimmed. The crowd roared with anticipation and hard rock music began to pound through the arena. Ryan couldn't understand the words of the song because the lead singer was screaming like a banshee, but even then the ring announcer's voice cut over the music and crowd alike.

"Coming into the cage first, standing 6'1 at 185 lbs. Trent "the Crusher" Walker!"

The crowd roared their approval as a tall man entered the cage through the only door. He was wearing green trunks with his nickname "the Crusher" printed across the rear. Ryan wondered how he had missed that when he was watching the match earlier, but quickly dismissed it. It had been the first fight he'd seen and he was occupied with watching the actual fight.

Walker's music cut out and a new song started. Again it was rock music, but this time the lead singer was understandable. Ryan actually recognized the song from his previous undercover job. The song was One Step Closer, but the band name still eluded him. Something Park. The lyrics made sense, but it didn't seem like a song Eric would have picked out.

"Mobley and the higher ups assign theme songs," Temple said. Ryan gave him a startled look.

"Are you reading my mind?" Ryan asked before he could stop himself.

Temple snorted. "No, it was something about the look on your face when the song started."

"Oh, gotcha."

Both men fell silent as the ring announcer started speaking again. "Now coming to the cage at 6'1 and 180 lbs. Eric Delko!"

Again the crowd roared and so did Eric's teammates, except for a startled Ryan who hadn't expected it. The music faded and the lights around the cage grew brighter so that the crowd was still mostly in darkness, but the fight within the cage could be easily seen. The referee entered the cage and the ring announcer left.

"Ah bastard, Eric had to get that corrupt asshole for his ref," Tom grumbled. "Henderson never calls cheap shots."

"Well, at least we know Ryan will either get Dawson or Tripp," Temple replied.

Ryan blocked them out as he watched the cage. The two fighters were circling the cage. Eric's eyes were intense and focused, not even distracted by the shouts of the crowd. His muscles looked relaxed, but ready to spring into action. The ref called them to the middle and said something that wasn't loud enough for Ryan to hear. Eric held out his fist to bump gloves, a traditional sign of respect between fighters, but Crusher snubbed him by backing away with a mocking smirk.

"Oh Eric will make him pay for that one," Ryan heard Ben say.

At the ref's signal the fight officially started and immediately Crusher went right at Eric. Eric ducked and danced back, allowing Crusher to expend his energy as he waited for a good opening. Ryan watched with baited breath as one of Crusher's punches flew inches from Eric's head. Eric retaliated with two quick, hard jabs to the ribs. Crusher instinctively protected his ribs and Eric swung a punishing blow right to the bigger man's jaw. Crusher's head snapped back and he stumbled as Eric ruthlessly took advantage of the opening. The ref shoved Eric back as Crusher hit the mat and Ryan listened as Temple and Tom cheered.

"Get him, Eric! Don't let the bastard recover!" Temple yelled.

"C'mon Eric, you can take his pussy!" Tom added his encouragement.

Ryan turned his attention back to the cage and saw Crusher getting to his feet. As soon as he was up Eric pounced. Crush anticipated the move and ducked, coming back up with a hard uppercut. Eric reeled and Crusher followed with two jabs to the gut and a kick to the sternum that knocked Eric off his feet, but as he fell he used the momentum to roll backwards and sprang to his feet again. Crusher lunged and for a moment the two exchanged punches fast and brutal before Eric stumbled back, stunned by a blow to the temple. Crusher followed and forced Eric all the way back to the side of the cage where he continued to batter him.

"C'mon Eric! Don't let him muscle you around!" Ben shouted over the roaring approval of the crowd.

As if hearing his teammate's encouragement, Eric lashed out and shoved Crusher away form him. Crusher came at him again, but Eric dodged and twisted around so that their positions were reversed. With Crusher against the side of the cage Eric began to pummel the bigger guy with absolutely no mercy. Suddenly Crusher went limp and the ref shoved Eric away, allowing Crusher to fall to the mat. Eric backed off and watched as the ref did a check to see if Crusher was conscious. It only took a moment before the ref straightened up, grabbed Eric's arm and lifted it in the air.

"Winner by knockout, Eric Delko!"

Ryan got to his feet at the same times as his teammates around him and cheered at Eric's victory. He followed Temple down the aisle and down the steps to meet Eric as he exited the cage. Eric looked like he'd picked a fight with a meat cleaver and lost, but he was still grinning happily. The medics tried to get to him, but Temple assured them Eric would be taken care of and the team ushered him away. Ryan was swept up in the excitement and just went right along with it. Before he knew it they were in the locker room and everyone was congratulating Eric.

"You should have seen him Funsch, he pulled one of your bait and switch moves," Temple said.

Ryan stood back slightly from the celebration and for the first time really saw how much of a family the team was. He saw how much they cared about one another. It was a moment to see past the tough attitudes of Funsch and Battle and see the protectiveness Tyler had been talking about. If he wanted to be a part of the team Ryan knew he was going to have to get those two men on his side, no matter how hard it would be.

"Where's Speed?" Eric asked once the commotion died down.

"Oh you know, he was pissed about his match being canceled," Danny replied. "Quinton has been talking all kinds of smack and Speed was looking forward to setting him straight."

"So in other words Speed's probably at the bar drinking away his frustration."

"Or he's found himself a Companion and he's getting his frustration out a different way," Tom suggested. That earned him a smack on the shoulder from Temple. "What was that for?"

"I doubt Ben wants to hear about his brother's sexual habits," Temple retorted with a scolding tone.

"Brother?" Ryan repeated, surprised by this revelation.

"Yeah, Speed's dad adopted them to use them in the League." Danny explained as the group began to split up again. "Speed's closer to them than he is to his own brother."

"Matt is a jackass, that's why." Tom growled. "That asshole doesn't care about his blood brother or his adopted brothers. All he cares about is making a name for himself, money, sex, and drugs."

Drugs? That definitely got Ryan's attention. If Mathew Speedle was into drugs it was very likely he was a member of the drug ring. Ryan didn't look forward to that. Speed probably wouldn't be happy about his brother getting busted. And for some strange reason that Ryan didn't quite understand, the last thing he wanted to do was upset Speed.

"C'mon Delko, we better get you to Alexx before she comes to find you," Danny said, quickly taking the conversation away from Speed's family. "You know how she gets."

"Yeah, I know." Eric said with a sigh as he was reluctantly pulled from the room.

Ryan blocked all conversations from his mind. He sat on the bench, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. After seeing one of his friends, another undercover cop, shot right in front of him Ryan had needed a way to relax and clear his mind of the nightmares that tormented him. He had learned a meditation technique from John and used it every time he needed to focus. And this one definitely a time he needed to focus.

VVVV

Ryan was growing increasingly nervous as it grew closer to time for his match. Meditating had helped a little at first, but as soon as he came back to himself and the situation he was in all calmness was gone. He knew he needed to win his first match if he was ever going to earn the respect of his teammates. It was the only thought in his head as he stretched and prepared. He had to have their respect.

The door to the locker room opened and a man stuck his head in. "Wolfe, you're up."

Ryan tried not to look at any of the men in the room as he headed out. He felt several pats on the back, but didn't look. He headed down the hall to the entrance area. As he neared he could hear hard rock music pounding inside the arena. The crowd was chanting and at first Ryan couldn't understand what they were saying. Then he came to the dark tunnel that led up to the arena and suddenly the chant was loud and unmistakable. They were chanting Grant Morgan's nickname, the walls ringing with cries of "Bloodlust" over and over again.

Morgan's theme song faded out, but the crowd's chants continued. Their chant could still be heard as a new song started. Ryan didn't recognize the song, but it was fast and angry just like the other themes. It wasn't his type of music, but it certainly fit the mood. With only a moment's hesitation he headed up the dark corridor and into the arena where a spotlight immediately fell on him. His blood was pumping hard and it was all he could hear as he walked the path up to the cage door. He knew he was being introduced by the ring announcer, but he couldn't hear any of it over the roaring in his ears. It was only when the ring announcer left and the referee for the match entered that Ryan remembered to focus and his heartbeat slowed enough to hear again.

"You both know the rules. Morgan, if I see one cheap shot from you I'll disqualify you immediately, got me?" The referee had a southern twang that was like Nick's, but also very different.

At Morgan's reluctant nod of understanding the ref took a step back and signaled for the fight to begin. Ryan took a step back and twisted to the left, having properly anticipated Morgan's aggressive charge. Ryan connected with a kick to Morgan's back and the slightly bigger man hit the cage with a clang. Ryan followed with another kick to the back, but Morgan rolled to the side and Ryan's foot connected with the cage.

"Get 'im Bloodlust! Knocking his fucking head off!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

Ryan backed away as Morgan came at him again. Ryan ducked a wild swing, but was caught full in the face by the other fist. The blow knocked him silly and he stumbled back as Morgan followed. A brutal jab to his already bruised stomach knocked the breath out of Ryan and an uppercut took him right off his feet. He vaguely heard the ref asking if he wanted to surrender, but for a few long minutes all Ryan could do was try and breathe. Suddenly he could breathe again and as he looked around he saw that Morgan was prancing around the cage riling up the crowd.

"Kid, either surrender or get up." The ref said.

Ryan flipped to his feet, much to the surprise of the crowd, and lunged for Morgan's back. It was a mistake, a gross misjudgment of his opponent's focus. Morgan threw out a kick that caught Ryan fully in the ribs. Ryan's momentum and the power behind Morgan's kick combined and he felt a few ribs give with a fiery pain. He stumbled back, dazed and in pain, but still had enough presence of mind to duck the next kick. Acting out of pure instinct, Ryan tackled his opponent, who was already off balance from missing the kick, and slammed them both to the mats hard.

"Get off him! Wolfe, back off!" The ref shouted.

Ryan allowed himself to be pulled away from Morgan as he struggled to catch his breath again. He bit down on his mouthpiece and clenched his fists as he watched Morgan get to his feet. The crowd was roaring for action as the two fighters lunged at each other again. Ryan blocked a punch and ducked the other fist and shoved Morgan backwards. He absorbed a kick with his thigh and faked a right hook at Morgan's head. Morgan moved his head to the left to dodge the blow and was caught with the full force of Ryan's left fist. Morgan stumbled and Ryan followed with a vicious cycle of punches to his opponent's head and a few to the ribs. One particularly powerful jab to the ribs felt like it might have snapped something, but Ryan didn't stop to consider it as he backed Morgan right into the side of the cage.

"Get 'em Ryan!" A voice yelled from the crowd. Ryan recognized it, but didn't take the time to try and place it.

Ryan dropped his fists to throw a few punches at Morgan's stomach and ribs, but Morgan lashed out. A backhanded punch knocked Ryan away from the more experienced fighter and gave Morgan the chance he needed to recover. With a roar muffled by his mouthpiece, Morgan attacked like a lion that had been poked too many times with a stick. It was a fury Ryan had never encountered before and could only defend himself from half the blows. A jab to his already abused ribs tore a cry of agony from him and he instinctively bent to protect his injury. The uppercut snapped his head backwards and lifted him off his feet. Everything grayed out for several seconds and when things came back to focus he was on his back with the ref bent over him checking him out.

"Wolfe, you conscious kid? Wolfe?" The ref called, patting his face.

Ryan's mouthpiece prevented him from speaking, but he nodded his head in answer. It took him a moment longer before he was able to get to his feet. Morgan was riling up the crowd again and they were once more chanting "Bloodlust" as the rowdy fighter circle the cage. Ryan didn't make the mistake of charging Morgan's back and instead waited until the bigger man turned and faced him. At that moment there was one thing that Ryan knew for damn sure. Whether he won or lost the match he was going to knock that god-awful smirk off Grant Morgan's face.

Morgan made a "come get some" motion with his hand, but Ryan didn't fall for it. He wanted his foe to come to him. After a few moments of circling each other looking for openings, Morgan lost his patience and attacked. Ryan caught the kick thrown at his side and used the strength given to him by adrenaline to lift Morgan off his feet and then body slammed him to the ground. The breath whooshed out of both of them, but Morgan's was laced with a shriek of agony as Ryan landed on his knee. Again the ref pulled Ryan to his feet and away from his opponent as Morgan clutched his injured appendage.

"Morgan, can you continue?" The ref asked in his sweet southern twang.

Morgan gave a growl of rage before stumbling to his feet. The smirk was gone from his face. Hatred sparked from furious black eyes as Morgan was forced to put all his weight on one leg. Ryan saw the light at the end of the tunnel and knew that Morgan's injury was the opening he needed. Ryan attacked, but Morgan was an experienced warrior and he was not done fighting yet. Ryan's right hook was caught and with a snarl of rage, Morgan twisted hard. Ryan gasped as he felt something in his wrist give and white-hot agony burned up his arm and down his fingers. Morgan used his hold to swing Ryan into the side of the cage and then began to pummel him with one fist as the other continued to twist the wrist. Ryan collapsed as the pain became too great and he felt the ref force Morgan to release his unbreakable hold and back off.

"You're done Wolfe, if you keep going he'll kill ya," The ref said softly. "I've watched that scumbag kill enough men to know. You've gotta surrender or you're gonna die."

Surrender? Surrender was absolutely not an option. If he surrendered in his first match he would never gain that back. No one in the League would respect him. If he gave up the fight he'd have to give up the assignment because there was no way he'd get close enough to anyone to find the evidence he needed. Still, he'd taken too much of a beating. He barely had any strength left to fight with. But fighting was the only option he had. He had to finish the fight or die trying.

"C'mon Ryan! Get up!" A shout from the audience spurred Ryan. He knew it was one of his teammates. He glanced to the section designated for fighters and was a little surprised to see the whole team, even the previously missing Speed, watching his fight.

Ryan bit down on his mouthpiece to muffle his grunt of pain as he forced himself to his feet. He swayed and grabbed the cage to balance himself as he glared at Morgan's back. That was it. Morgan had turned his back to him for the last time. With a roar of determination Ryan charged Morgan's back. Morgan, who had expected Ryan to stay down, spun at the sound of his approaching enemy. It was too late for a defensive or offensive move. Ryan tackled Morgan at full speed with all his weight and strength behind it. Morgan's grunt of surprise was the last thing Ryan knew before darkness claimed him.

VVVV

"...month at least."

Ryan groaned as he came back to consciousness. His whole body ached with a deep and terrible pain. Each breath brought sharp agony from his ribs. Fire pulsed continuously in his wrist in time with each beat of his heart. It had been a long, long time since he felt this kind of pain.

"Ryan, are you with me honey?" A gentle female voice questioned.

He didn't want to be, but Ryan was definitely alive and regrettably conscious. He grunted in reply, but didn't open his eyes. There was one thing he knew with undeniable certainty. Wherever he was it was brightly lit and opening his eyes was only going to add to his pain. When a hand touched his arm he jerked and was tempted to open his eyes to see who it was, but managed to contain himself.

"Honey, I need you to open your eyes for me. I have to check your pupils," the gentle voice persisted.

"If you don't open them yourself, Alexx'll open them for you," Danny's unmistakable voice warned.

Ryan groaned in response, but obediently opened his eyes. He winced as the standard pupil check was performed, but kept his eyes open despite his instincts to shut them. He blinked a few times before he looked around. Horatio, Danny, and Eric were to one side and to his other side stood a smiling dark skinned woman who was obviously the doctor taking care of him. Her smile was warm and comforting and she surprised Ryan by reaching out and tenderly stroking his cheek.

"You're going to be alright Ryan. I'm going to take good care of you," she said soothingly. "Go back to sleep."

Ryan blinked tiredly and yawned uncontrollably. He heard Danny and Eric snicker before his mind drifted away and he was asleep.

VVVV

The next time Ryan came around someone was gently trying to wake him. He mumbled something about not going to school today and tried to go back to sleep. There was a not so soft laugh and the hands and voice became more insistent. Against his own will his mind began to clear as the shroud of sleep fell away. He slowly opened his eyes and cautiously opened his eyes.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, ready to go home?" asked a grinning Eric.

"Ugh," Ryan grunted.

Eric laughed, "Yeah, I can understand that, but I think you'll be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed."

Ryan went along with Eric's gentle coaxing and first sat up and then slid off the bed. The sudden change made his head swim and he leaned heavily against Eric for a moment. He vaguely heard the door open and then there was another set of hands helping him. Ryan was too disoriented to see who the other person helping was. He just allowed them to help him all the way out of the building and into a waiting cab. Exhaustion pulled at him again and he slowly drifted to sleep on Eric's shoulder.

The next time Ryan woke up he was being lifted out of the cab and carried. He sleepily looked up at Battle as the big man carried him into the Lair. Battle looked down at him and even half-asleep Ryan could see the gleam of respect in those dark eyes. He had earned their respect. He once more fell asleep content with the knowledge that he had taken a step in the right direction.


	4. Wolfe and the Companion

V**Wolfe and the Companion**V

It was a day or two of recovery before Ryan found out the results of his fight. Eric proudly informed him that he had managed a rare feat. A tie. It was the only thing the ref could call when both fighters were knocked unconscious at the same time. Ryan's teammates viewed it as a victory. Everyone had congratulated him on a spectacular first fight. Hell, he'd even got a pat on the back from Speed.

As the days went by Ryan began to fall into a routine. His mornings started early as usual, always unable to sleep in late. He would then take a shower and get dressed before going down for a morning walk. The first morning he went out he was surprised to see Speed getting into the elevator at the same time. Ryan said good morning, Speed grunted what might have been a reply, and the two rode down in silence. It turned out that Speed was in the habit of going for morning walks as well. Ryan was pleasantly surprised when Speed ended up walking with him. They didn't speak the whole time, but Ryan got a feeling that it was an improvement of sorts for Speed to willingly stay in his presence.

A week later and they still had the same routine. Once or twice they had brief conversations, but nothing lasted long. Ryan knew he was lucky to get anything out of the quiet man. But it didn't help the…crush. And he felt like a teenager still in high school for even thinking of it as a crush. Speed showed absolutely no signs of being interested in anyone let alone the new kid. That was besides the point entirely because, undercover agents couldn't have feelings for someone they might potentially have to bust. The whole thing made Ryan's head hurt.

And his situation did not go unnoticed by the members of the team who he'd befriended. He knew that Tom and Temple at least knew he was attracted to Speed after catching him staring at his shirtless teammate. Since it was Tom and Temple who knew Ryan was sure the whole team knew or at least the ones who cared. That meant Eric and Danny knew. It also meant that, god forbid, Speed's adopted brothers knew. Ryan wasn't so sure he liked the idea of Ben, who still hadn't fully warmed up to him, knowing about his growing feelings for Speed.

He was just finishing his first report back to command when someone banged on his door. He quickly saved and encoded it and sent the report through a stealth software that was completely untraceable. There was another bang on the door as Ryan got up, pulled on a shirt, and made his way to the door before the person could bang again. He pulled it open and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Eric on the other side, grinning widely.

"Bout time Wolfe, thought I was going to have to knock the door down," Eric teased.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's a thing called patience, Delko. You should invest in it."

"You should have learned by now that Eric has all the patience of a five year-old kicking and screaming to get his way," Temple commented as he joined them.

Ryan smirked and Eric's indignant squawk "What do you two troublemakers want?"

"I'm not a troublemaker!" Eric retorted.

"We're going out and you're going with us," Temple replied, not denying his status as a troublemaker. "You can find out why they say Tom and I are trouble."

Ryan was not a bar or club type person. Both places had two things in common. Too many people and too much noise, both of which gave him headaches. But he knew that other fighters frequented bars and clubs and that some drug deals probably went down in those shady places. At some point and time he was going to have to go and appeared that it was going to be sooner rather than later.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I don't have a choice," Ryan said.

"Nope," his two teammates confirmed with wide grins.

"This outing is to celebrate your tie, which is not easy to achieve," Eric added. "Be ready to leave in an hour."

"Who's going?" Ryan asked, half dreading the answer.

"The Twins and Tom are going too."

Ryan groaned. "The Twins? Why do I have a feeling that this is a bad idea?"

VVVV

It was a bad idea and the feeling only got worse as they entered the shady club where anything and everything was allowed. It was the kind of club that Ryan had seen busted a million times. It made his skin crawl, but he tried not to look affected as he followed his teammates toward the main bar. Drinking was a bad idea too, he didn't have much of a tolerance for alcohol, but he knew he wouldn't get through the night without it. Mostly, his problem came with the inability to stop once he got started.

"Drinks are on us, Ryan," Eric informed him. "So drink up."

A beer was pushed his way and he did what was expected of him and started to drink it. Beer had never been his first choice as a drink, because when he drank it was usually not for a good reason and he went to a little harder stuff. He never drank for pleasure and he convinced himself that this time it was just part of the job.

"So then, Ryan, tell us about yourself. You've been with the team for a week now and we don't know anything about you," Kar said.

"Not much to say, really. I've led a pretty boring life," Ryan replied.

"Y'know, it's funny, I haven't been able to find any record of you in any kickboxing leagues," Ben commented.

Ryan's danger sense kicked in, but before he could reply Kar smacked his brother. "Not now, Ben, damn. We're celebrating here."

Ben snorted, turned his attention back to quietly nursing his beer. Ryan was fairly unnerved by Ben's comment. His unit was supposed to have planted records of him in a little known kickboxing league across the country. Either Ben was just trying to shake him up, hadn't looked hard enough, or his unit had failed that basic task. It would have been no surprise either what with as corrupted as the whole police force was becoming. He and John both knew that before undertaking the mission and they opted to accept even though moles on the inside could threaten their cover at any time.

Without realizing he had finished the first beer and started on a second, which Tom had graciously ordered for him. The conversations went on around him and he listened in as Eric and Kar described instances of Tom and Temple's trouble making affairs. They kept the booze flowing and by the fourth beer Ryan began to relax enough to laugh along with them. Before long he was drunk enough to lose most of his inhibitions and allowed Eric to drag him out on the dance floor. He wasn't really a dancer, not to say he didn't have the rhythm for it, but he just didn't find any pleasure in it. But he went along with Eric's movements and lost himself in the music.

The feeling of a body close behind his own brought him out of his daze and he glanced over his shoulder at the person. The young man behind him was slightly taller with a pale complexion, deep eyes, and wildly styled blond hair. There was somewhat of cocky grin on his face and for some reason Ryan couldn't explain he really liked that.

"Come here often?" The stranger asked with a somewhat teasing tone.

Ryan had to laugh at that. "Do you actually use that pick-up line?"

"Made you laugh, didn't it?" The man pointed out. "Greg Sanders, and you are?"

"Not that easy," Ryan retorted and slid away into the pulsating body of people.

Ryan separated himself from the crowd, briefly wondering where Eric had gotten off to, as he sat a side bar at one corner. His cop instincts told him he had been followed by the persistent Greg, which was verified when the blonde slid into a seat beside him. Ryan glanced over at Greg and the blonde grinned widely at him before ordering two beers and pushing one to Ryan. Ryan raised an eyebrow at that, but accepted the offering and took a swig.

"So, what's your name?"

"You think buying me a drink buys my name?"

"Is there a reason you're playing hard to get?"

"Is there a reason you're still playing?"

Greg smirked. "You're really hot and I want to get into your pants."

Ryan blinked, looking over at the blunt young man with a shocked expression. Greg laughed at the look on his face. Ryan quickly composed himself and was torn between glaring at the blunt man or going along with it. What he decided on was more alcohol. He finished the beer and went for something a little stronger. He ordered a shot of vodka and heard Greg laugh at him. Ryan went to order another one, but Greg beat him to it and ordered two shots of tequila.

"Gross," Ryan muttered.

Greg smirked at him. "Not for you."

"Wha...?"

Ryan trailed off as Greg put salt on the back of his hand. He didn't even have time to tell him no before Greg's hot, wet tongue licked it off in one swipe. It sent tingles down his arm and straight to his groin. He watched Greg's throat as he swallowed the tequila shot and then sucked on the lemon. It was the first body shot Ryan had taken part in and it was a lot more arousing than he imagined someone licking his hand would ever be. More startling was the fact that he wanted Greg to do it again. A thrill of excitement rushed through him when Greg tilted his neck and put the salt there. Ryan gave a low moan at the deliciously hot swipe of Greg's tongue that sent sparks of arousal through his whole body. It felt so good and it had been so damn long since his job allowed him any time for this kind of pleasure. The fight was gone from him by the time Greg made his next move.

Greg kissed him. And it wasn't a short peck either. It was hard and demanding and when a hand bravely groped him Greg used Ryan's startled gasp to deepen it. Ryan's brain was fried and he couldn't even think clearly enough to respond, which seemed fine with Greg who was content to take what he wanted. Eventually the need to breathe forced Greg to end the kiss, but by then Ryan's brains may as well have leaked out of his ears.

The next thing he was properly aware of was being shoved against a wall in a dark corner while Greg kissed all sense out of him. More surprising was the fact that he was kissing back. Ryan moaned softly when Greg slipped one hand under his shirt. Ryan broke away to try and catch his breath, but his breathing hitched when Greg nibbled on his neck. White-hot desire flashed through him as he tilted his head to give Greg more room to work. By then the alcohol was mixing with the overpowering lust and the last thing he remembered was being led out of the club.

VVVV

Warm. The first thing Ryan was aware of was the fact that he was very, very warm, almost too warm. But he was comfortable despite that. Of course, the next thing that came to him was just how much his damn head hurt. The more he woke up, the more he realized it hurt. But it was when he was fully aware of his surroundings, and his own body for that matter, that he became aware of the biggest shock. There was an arm draped over his stomach with the fingers curled around his hip.

That jolted Ryan fully awake. He kept his body perfectly still as he turned his head to look at the owner of the arm, which he could tell was male. All he could see was wild blond hair as the guy was laying on his stomach with his head turned away. Ryan groaned softly and rubbed his face with his hands. He could only remember bits and pieces of the previous night, mostly flashes of pleasure, and that was not a good feeling at all. He hadn't drank that much since he was in college and he really didn't like not remembering what happened. And he really, really didn't like dealing with hangovers.

Just the thought of a hangover suddenly turned his stomach and he scrambled out of bed and for the bathroom. His head throbbed mercilessly as the lost the contents of his stomach into the toilet. God did he ever hate hangovers and he really wished he would have drank water between alcoholic drinks. Finally his rebellious stomach quieted and he stood up to rinse his mouth out when he looked into the mirror and saw someone standing in the doorway. Ryan yelped in surprise and spun to face the stranger. No...not stranger. Greg, the man's name was Greg Sanders and it came to him out of nowhere.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Ryan snapped, before turning back to the sink. It only registered a second later that Greg was standing behind him as naked as the day he was born and that he himself was still very naked.. "Oh god what did I do last night?"

"That much to drink, huh?" Greg teased.

Ryan shot a glare at him. "Do you always take advantage of drunk people?"

"You didn't seem that drunk to me," Greg replied calmly and with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Great observational skills you must have," Ryan snapped.

"You seemed ready and willing last night. Besides, I'm not paid to back off just because a client has had just a little too much to drink," Greg said.

Ryan snapped around to look at the other man, ignoring his nakedness for the moment. "You're whore?"

"We prefer Companion," Greg corrected with just a hint of edge to his voice.

Ryan frowned and rinsed out his mouth before looking back at the Companion. "I paid for you?"

Greg laughed and shook his head. "You don't seem like the type with the guts to approach a Companion. Why don't you brush your teeth and take a shower. Then we can talk some more."

Ryan opened his mouth to object. He wanted to know just what the hell was going on. But he did feel really dirty and his mouth still had that awful after taste of vomit. He relented to Greg's suggestion and showered first letting the hot water sooth him and wash away all evidence of the previous night's activities. When that was done he was feeling a little better, though he knew that he wouldn't feel completely right until he re-hydrated his body. He brushed his teeth and smooth down his hair before wrapped a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He found a dressed Greg sitting in the living room watching TV and quickly scampered past him back into the bedroom where he closed the door before getting dressed.

By the time he reappeared in the living room Greg was still watching TV, but there was a glass of water and pills sitting on the table. Ryan hesitated a moment before joining Greg on the couch. He downed the pills and drank the rest of the water before he turned his attention to Greg. The other man was still focused on the TV and laughed at whatever was going on, but Ryan was not in the mood. He grabbed the remote and shut it off.

"I see you're ready to talk," Greg said calmly.

"I want explanations," Ryan demanded.

Greg sighed. "Wow, if I had known it was going to be this much trouble I would have told Eric to shove his money up his ass."

"Eric? Eric paid you?"

"Look," Greg cut in before Ryan could get ranting. "They've done it for every new teammate after their first fight. It's a present. Most guys are pretty damn happy to receive my services."

"I'm not in the habit of jumping into bed with just anyone," Ryan retorted.

Greg smirked. "Yeah, I got that."

"Hey--."

"Relax I'm joking," Greg quickly said before Ryan could get fired up again. "I'm sorry okay. But when they pointed you out I almost said I'd do it for free. I really didn't think you were that drunk or I seriously wouldn't have made a move. I have more respect for any Dragon than that."

Ryan sighed and rubbed his face. He should have known his crazy teammates would do something like that. It was right up their alley. And it wasn't like it hadn't been good. On the contrary he was starting to remember it was very, very good. What got him was how easily he could have let something slip. He shouldn't have let it happen, but at the same time he really couldn't say he regretted it. He did however regret the report he was going to have to make about it.

"I guess you're not used to the guys you sleep with freaking out when they wake up, huh?" Ryan finally asked after he allowed himself the time to calm down.

"It's okay, I'll just give Eric hell for it. Maybe make him pay extra next time," Greg replied with a big grin. "Now, how about we go to breakfast?"

VVVV

"Hey Greg, nice of you to join us," Danny said while giving him a knowing grin.

"You guys are horrible," Greg scolded, but the grin on his face betrayed his tone. "And that's the last time I do surprise jobs. For just a moment I thought he was going to kick my ass this morning."

The other men at the table shot Ryan surprised looks, but it was Eric who spoke up. "You were mad?"

"Well, I don't care about the rest of you, but I'm not a one night stand kind of guy. If I hadn't been fairly drunk I wouldn't have done anything."

"Takes a strong man to resist Greg's charms," Danny said, eyeing the Companion.

Greg grinned smugly. "See something you like Danny-boy?"

"You know it."

"Okay, you two, keep the horny level down at the breakfast table," Eric said, trying to sound firm. He looked back at Ryan and sighed. "Alright Ryan, I'll come clean. We do have the tradition of hiring a Companion to celebrate a teammate's first fight. However, there was more to it than that."

"Everyone at this table knows you have a thing for Speed and don't even try and deny it," Danny added at the end when Ryan opened his mouth to argue.

Ryan blinked, then started to look angry. "So what, you thought I'd be distracted by a one night stand?"

"Well, you were pretty distracted last night," Greg said making Ryan blush. "Whatever you think about their tactics there's something else you should know."

"What's that?"

"Speed looked ready to murder me when he saw us walk in together," Greg said, nodding his head subtly in the direction of the older man.

Ryan sat up a little straighter. "Really?"

"Really." Greg confirmed. There were nods around the table confirming it and that brought a smile to Ryan's face.

Eric patted his friend on the back. "There's hope for you yet."


End file.
